Gamification works; the real question is: Which gamified learning platform is right for your needs?
We tested and compared the top gamification tools and narrowed the list down to 12, with real pros and cons, pricing, use cases, and honest takes from actual users on Reddit and the best software review sites.
So if you're here because you're giving trainings, running workshops, teaching, or otherwise running a group session, and you already know how valuable gamification can be, this guide is put together to help you make the exact right choice for your needs.
Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to gamified learning tools. It all depends on what you’re trying to do and who you’re trying to engage. We pulled out some top cateogries and use cases, and ranked the best overall options for each, to get into the real meat and specfics of the tools.
After testing 12 top platforms across corporate training, classrooms, events, and course creation, here are the clear winners in each category:
Styled Table Preview
Category
Best Tool
Best Remote (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, etc)
Slides With Friends Ideal for layering live games, polls, and Q&A within presentations.
Best In Person
Slido Enterprise-ready with live polls, Q&A, analytics, and seamless presentation integration.
Best for Education / Classrooms
Kahoot! Fast-paced game-based learning for students.
Best for Corporate Training / L&D
Slides With Friends Easy to use in meetings and onboarding with built-in engagement.
Best Tracking
iSpring Learn Structured LMS with progress tracking, leaderboards, and certificates.
Best Gamification Features
Xperiencify Designed around gamification-first learning experiences.
Easiest To Use
Slides With Friends Very intuitive with a fun, student-friendly interface. Instant setup, no learning curve, and great for any skill level.
When it comes to remote meetings and live engagement, Slides With Friends was the clear favorite. It’s easy enough to use, packed with fun features like live polls, trivia, and photo slides, and works like a charm for turning “just another Zoom” into something people actually enjoy—no technical hoops to jump through.
In education and classrooms, Kahoot! remains a leader thanks to its fast-paced game mechanics, massive library of public quizzes, and its ability to energize students of all ages. Being the literal grandfather of this category (since 2013), its format is instantly recognizable and highly effective for short-form learning bursts.
For corporate training and team development, Slides With Friends wins again for its ease of use and ability to layer engagement on top of sessions that could easily bore, especially in live L&D programs, onboarding, or compliance training, where participation often lags. It’s low-lift, yet high impact.
And without further ado, here are our deep-dives into each of the top 12 gamified learning platforms out there:
1. Slides With Friends
Best For: Trainers, managers, team leads. Teachers and school districts Use it For: Live group interaction and engagement in meetings, trainings, team events, classrooms, and lessons
Slides With Friends is a tool for running live, interactive presentations and events that actually engage. It’s perfect for:
Managers and Trainers running meetings, onboarding, or team trainings
Teachers and Professors looking to make lessons more interactive
Speakers and Event Hosts leading webinars, off-sites, or conferences
Team Leaders wanting fun, prosocial team-building moments
Sales Leaders training and motivating teams in a trackable, exciting way
Instead of static slides or talking to a blank Zoom screen, you can run polls, quizzes, word clouds, photo sharing, and more, right in your presentation, and see responses live. It’s built to make group experiences feel human, fun, and useful.
Think: part PowerPoint, part Mentimeter/Kahoot, but friendlier and easier to use.
The tool is designed for hosts who want to get more audience participation with real-time polls, trivia, quizzes, photo sharing, word clouds, and more — all delivered through a customizable slide deck format from any browser.
You can import your presentation in PDF, PPT, or PPTX format and add your Slides With Friends slides to the deck. Your participants will join via an easy link or QR code (no downloads required), and you’re good to add excitement to your presentations. It's great for in-person and virtual learning.
Key Features:
Intuitive drag-and-drop slide builder with pre-built game templates
Built-in leaderboard and team challenge modes
Analytics and exportable participation data
Works as a standalone activity or as engagement slides within your presentation (and can be brought into your existing PPT presentations).
Pros
Cons
Extremely easy to set up and use (no training needed)
Not designed for long-term LMS-style course tracking
Fun, modern visuals that feel fun and engaging
Works best for synchronous, not async training
Ideal for remote or in-person group sessions at work or at school
No built-in SCORM or learning path structure
Starting Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $8/month (billed annually).
2. Kahoot!
Best For: K–12 teachers, educators, and trainers Use It For: Game-based interactive learning in classrooms
Kahoot! is the OG of live quiz games. It practically invented the classroom showdown. If you’ve ever seen students (or coworkers) frantically tapping their phones to answer multiple-choice questions under a ticking timer, you’ve seen Kahoot in action.
This tool is built for live, high-energy sessions where speed, competition, and fun are welcome. It’s popular with:
K-12 teachers who want to inject some friendly chaos into a lesson
Trainers doing quick check-ins or knowledge reviews
Event hosts running icebreakers or energizers with big groups
It’s relatively simple to use, easy to join (with a code or link), and full of visual vibrance with music, color, confetti, and leaderboards.
Key Features:
Massive public library of free and paid pre-built quizzes (AKA “kahoots”)
Support for live or self-paced modes
AI-assisted quiz and poll creation
Pros
Cons
Great for live, high-energy classroom learning
So many features, it feels overwhelming to a new user
Easy for students to join and play on any device
Can feel chaotic or overstimulating for some users
Wide range of question types, game modes, and visual themes
The free version has limited reporting and customization options
Starting Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $3.99 per host per month, billed annually (Personal Plan). Other pricing plans are available for schools, businesses, and events.
3. Quizizz
Best For: Teachers and educators Use it For: Fun, self-paced quizzes, and review games in classrooms or workplace learning
Quizizz is like Kahoot's younger cousin. It’s more chill, but still a lot of fun. It’s built for both live quiz battles and self-paced assignments — a great balance for:
Teachers running quizzes before or after lessons
Trainers assigning async assessments or just-for-fun knowledge checks
Students and teams who want something more playful than a traditional LMS
You can start from scratch or pull from a huge bank of pre-made questions. Bonus: there’s an AI tool to help build quizzes fast, and a “teleport” feature that lets you grab questions from other public quizzes.
Teachers love it for homework or warmups. Trainers love it for async onboarding. And learners love it because… memes, power-ups, and leaderboards.
Key Features:
Live and self-paced quiz modes
Real-time data dashboards and post-session reports
AI-assisted question building + massive content bank
Pros
Cons
The memes are loved by many
Limited reporting tools on the free version
Very easy to use and quick to set up
Less effective for deep discussion or nuanced training topics
Asynchronous mode is great for homework, training, or independent study
Visual design may feel too casual for professional use
Starting Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $18/month, billed annually (Individual plan).
4. Mentimeter
Best For: Corporate presenters, facilitators, and teachers Use it For: Interactive presentations with live polls, Q&A, and visuals in both classrooms and professional settings
Mentimeter is your go-to when you want to make your presentations way less one-sided. Instead of good ol’ traditional slides, Mentimeter lets you build interactive decks with polls, word clouds, Q&A, etc., and collect responses in real time.
It’s slick, visually polished, and works great for:
Teachers running interactive lectures
Corporate presenters or workshop hosts
Anyone who wants live input from a room (or Zoom) full of people
Like most interactive presentation tools on this list, you don’t need participants to log in, just share a link or QR code, and boom, instant feedback.
It doesn’t go as deep on gamification as some others, but for audience engagement and keeping heads from nodding off, it delivers.
Key Features:
Quiz competition mode with points and leaderboards
Template gallery and AI-assisted question generation
Anonymous voting and instant visual feedback
Pros
Cons
Works well for both education and corporate presentations
Quiz features are basic compared to other tools
Instant feedback keeps participants engaged in passive sessions
Limited number of slides on the free version
Beautiful, professional visuals, and smooth animations
Works better as a polling tool than a learning platform
Starting Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $10/month, billed annually (Education Basic plan).
5. Poll Everywhere
Best For: Professors, trainers, speakers, and workshop facilitators Use it For: Adding quick live polls and feedback to presentations, especially in-person or hybrid settings
The real-time audience response system, Poll Everywhere, may not be flashy, but it's a dependable and easy tool to use. It’s built to plug into your existing slides (PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides) so you can ask questions and show results without switching tools.
It’s a favorite of:
Professors and educators doing quick checks for understanding
Trainers gathering live feedback in sessions
Speakers who want interaction without the tech juggling
The gamification? It's there, but subtle: leaderboards and competition slides. If you want light engagement baked into your slides without building a whole new deck, Poll Everywhere works.
Key Features:
Seamless integration with PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote
Anonymous voting options
Response moderation and filtering
Pros
Cons
Easy to embed in existing slide decks
Gamification is limited to basic scoring and leaderboards
Real-time feedback is ideal for corporate settings
Free version is limited to small audiences
No app or login required for participants
The user interface feels dated compared to newer tools
Starting Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $9/month (Education plan, billed annually).
6. Nearpod
Best For: K–12 teachers, instructional coaches, and school districts Use it For: Interactive and engaging lessons for classroom and remote learning with formative assessment
Nearpod is like a Swiss Army knife for teachers. You can create full multimedia lessons, drop in interactive activities like polls and quizzes, and track student progress as they go. It’s built for K–12, but even higher ed folks and tutors use it to make lessons more hands-on and less lecture-y.
Educators flipping their classrooms or teaching remote
Schools that want formative assessment baked into instruction
It works live or asynchronously and comes with a massive content library, so you don’t always have to start from scratch. There’s gamification, but it’s more of a sidekick than the star. The focus here is structured learning with a splash of fun.
Key Features:
Integration with Google Classroom, Canvas, and other LMSs
Real-time data on student engagement and performance
Library pre-made lessons and content
Tools for collaboration: matching pairs, draw-it whiteboard, and open discussion boards
Pros
Cons
Excellent for structured classroom instruction
More tailored to K-12 than corporate environments
Wide variety of interaction types
Steep learning curve for new users building lessons from scratch
Built-in content library saves teachers' time
Limited gamification compared to quiz-focused tools
Starting Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $159/year (equivalent to $13.25/month).
7. Slido
Best For: Event organizers, corporate teams, and meeting facilitators Use it For: In-person and hybrid events, meetings, and presentations where audience feedback matters
If you’ve been to a big conference or a polished webinar, you’ve probably interacted with Slido — sleek, simple, and built for business. It’s designed to help facilitators get real-time input from the audience using polls, quizzes, Q&A, and surveys, all without making participants download anything or log in.
It shines in settings where you want high engagement with zero friction. It’s also packed with analytics, so after your event, you’ll know exactly how people responded.
Slido is great for:
Event organizers and conference presenters
Team leads running interactive meetings
Corporate trainers who need data from sessions
Key Features:
Leaderboards and scoring for gamified quiz sessions
Analytics dashboards and exportable response data
Participant anonymity and moderation tools
Pros
Cons
Incredibly easy to set up and launch during live events
Gamification is limited to quizzes and basic leaderboards
Works well with common presentation tools
Free version caps participation and question types
Polished, professional user experience
It’s only an engagement add-on
Starting Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $17.50/month per user, billed annually.
8. TalentLMS
Best For: HR managers, L&D teams, and training coordinators Use it For: Delivering structured employee training with gamification baked in
Cloud-based learning management system, TalentLMS, is a solid, no-fuss platform for creating and delivering online training to teams. It’s usually used by companies that need to onboard new hires, run compliance training, or upskill people without a full-time L&D department.
It is great for:
HR and training managers building internal courses
Compliance and onboarding programs
Teams that want structured learning without a huge learning curve
It’s easy to build courses, assign them to different user groups, and track progress. The gamification features are built right into the learning paths, so learners can earn points, badges, and rewards as they go. It may not win a design award, but it gets the job done.
Key Features:
Drag-and-drop course builder with quizzes, surveys, SCORM, video, and docs
Built-in gamification: points, badges, levels, leaderboards, and rewards
AI-powered course assistant (TalentCraft) for content generation
Analytics and reports on progress and performance
Pros
Cons
Easy to set up and scale for small or large teams
The interface can feel plain compared to more modern tools
Strong gamification mechanics built into learning paths
Free plan is very limited and lacks gamification features
Good for compliance, onboarding, and team development
Best For: Enterprise training teams, customer education leads, and global organizations Use it For: Enterprise-level training with deep customization, automation, and gamified learning paths
Docebo is the heavyweight of this list. It’s a full-blown enterprise LMS designed for large organizations that want a custom training ecosystem with all the bells and whistles. You can create personalized learning paths, automate assignments, track skills, and even monetize courses.
It’s also big on gamification, with points, badges, contests, and challenges built in. The tradeoff? It’s powerful but not exactly plug-and-play. It takes time to set up and is probably overkill for small teams.
Great for:
Enterprises delivering large-scale internal or external training
Organizations with complex user groups and training goals
Teams that want to automate and personalize learning at scale
Key Features:
Personalized learning paths, thanks to AI
User segmentation and multi-audience management
Integration with business tools like Salesforce, Zoom, and Google Workspace
Pros
Cons
Deep customization for training unique to user groups
Its depth and customization options present a steeper learning curve for basic use
AI-personalized learning paths
You may need technical help to setup and configure Docebo-built courses
Strong gamification is attached to learning paths
Complex interface with a steeper learning curve
Starting Price: Custom pricing only. Requires contacting Docebo’s sales team for a tailored quote.
10. iSpring Learn
Best For: L&D managers, HR departments, and training consultants Use it For: Fast, structured LMS setup with strong reporting and built-in gamification
iSpring Learn is a smooth, no-fluff LMS that gets you up and running quickly — especially if you're already using PowerPoint or iSpring’s content authoring tools. It’s great for companies that need to roll out training fast, track progress, and reward completion with badges, points, and certificates.
It’s not flashy, but it’s solid. If your goal is “deliver great content, track results, move on,” iSpring is your low-hassle option.
iSpring Learn works best for:
L&D teams creating structured training paths
HR teams rolling out onboarding or compliance modules
Companies that need clear progress tracking and learner data
Key Features:
Clean interface with drag-and-drop content organization
Built-in quizzes and assessments (MCQ, matching, Likert, essays, etc.)
Learning paths, progress tracking, and group-based management
Pros
Cons
Very fast to deploy with a low learning curve
Pricing can scale quickly for large teams
Strong integration between content creation and delivery
Gamification features are solid, but not standout or customizable
Flexible course structure and clear learner progress tracking
Limited engagement tools beyond structured training
Starting Price: Starts at $6.64 per user/month, billed annually. Here, “users” means people who access your course. For 100 learners, expect to pay at least $664/month. A free 30-day trial is available.
11. Xperiencify
Best For: Course creators, coaches, solopreneurs, and digital entrepreneurs Use it For: Building online courses that maximize motivation and course completion rates through gamification
Xperiencify is built for coaches, creators, and anyone selling digital courses. And its entire vibe is gamification-first. It’s packed with tools designed to keep learners coming back: experience points, countdown timers, surprise rewards, and even “self-destructing” content (a very interesting one).
It’s not a traditional LMS, and it’s definitely not built for corporate HR teams. But if you’re building a course to sell and want your learners to stay excited and finish what they started, this is what you want to build it with.
The people who use it most are:
Course creators and solopreneurs selling digital learning
Coaches who want to build community and drive engagement
Anyone who wants more “wow” and less drop-off
Key Features:
Gamified triggers like points, badges, progress tracking, and countdowns
Engagement nudges like emails, sound effects, and pop-up rewards
Visual dashboards for learners to see their progress
Community-building tools and testimonials
Pros
Cons
Easy-to-use templates and onboarding make setup smooth
Less flexibility for advanced instructional design or assessments
Deep gamification features are specifically designed to increase engagement
Focused on solopreneur course businesses, not corporate training or classrooms
Tailored to driving course completion and learner motivation
No support for SCORM or traditional LMS compliance
Starting Price: Starts at $83.25/month, billed annually. No free plan, but includes a 14-day trial.
12. isEazy Game
Best For: Corporate training teams, product marketers, and internal comms leads Use it For: Microlearning with fully branded, game-based experiences
isEazy Game lets you turn bite-sized training content into custom-branded games. It’s focused on microlearning, i.e., 5-minute activities that reinforce knowledge in a fun, visually-stimulating way. You pick a game template, plug in your content, and you’ve got a quiz, challenge, or mission ready to go.
It’s perfect for teams that want to reinforce training without formal courses, and the branded visuals make it feel like a professional product.
Top users include:
Corporate teams running internal training or awareness campaigns
Sales enablement and product knowledge checks
Organizations that value branding and visual polish
Key Features:
Pre-designed, fully customizable game templates
Real-time feedback and analytics
Supports branded environments with logos, colors, and themes
Pros
Cons
High visual quality and strong UX across games
Limited flexibility beyond game formats
Templates make it fast to launch without design skills
Not built for full course or program delivery
Strong branding and customization options
Pricing is enterprise-level and not transparent
Starting Price: Custom pricing, so you have to contact sales for yours. Includes a free trial upon request.
The Deep Dive Comparison
Because “gamified learning” means different things in different settings, we’ve split our top picks into four clear categories based on use case:
Interactive Game and Quiz Makers: For creating fast, fun, competitive learning games. Great in meetings, classrooms, and team trainings.
“[Compared to Kahoot and Mentimeter], Slides With Friends has been a nice in-between for me. You can build polls, word clouds, even photo slides, and the free version lets you run longer sessions than [Mentimeter]” — u/Allison_Watermelon
“Slides With Friends [is] less game showy and more discussion friendly.” — u/Muffonekf
⭐️ 4.8
⭐️ 4.8
Kahoot!
“I like Kahoot personally because if a bunch of students get a question wrong, I can pause and go over it. I’ve heard teachers say that they find it boring, but my kids (12th grade) go crazy for it.” — u/Parking-Interview351
⭐️ 4.6
⭐️ 4.7
Quizizz
“I also use Quizziz, which lets the students go at their own pace. They tend to be more fun than educational, but they definitely aren't useless by any means and are a great way to get students engaged before we really start class.” — u/scientology_chicken
⭐️ 4.9
⭐️ 4.0
Mentimeter
“[...]I've enjoyed using Mentimeter. I use the free version because it has enough features for me.” — u/elynbeth
⭐️ 4.7
⭐️ 4.5
Poll Everywhere
“I use Poll Everywhere in my class to make sure people understand what's being taught; these same polls are used for participation points as well as for attendance purposes.” — u/Geology_Skier_Mama
⭐️ 4.5
⭐️ 3.8
Nearpod
“[...]I do like Nearpod very much. Allowing oral responses was awesome for remote teaching and I still used it [face-to-face]. If you’re already a Google Slides user, it’s an awesome tool to add interactivity and easily track some formative assessment data.
All of the tasks are low-order thinking but it’s a great foundation for getting into the higher-level tasks of the lesson.” — u/SignorJC
⭐️ 4.6
⭐️ 4.3
Slido
“I've been working on a lot of events recently that have been using Slido (a question and polling software) to make the events more interactive and use the data for research, etc..
Rather than switching between laptops or quickly switching between windows on the presentation laptop, you can add the Poll/Questions window into the presentation directly. As many times as you want.” — u/i-ChuckNovice-i
“Slido is my current best option. It nails it on ease of access [...]. However, it’s really best suited for question management.” — u/AntiLiterat
⭐️ 4.8
⭐️ 4.3
TalentLMS
“TalentLMS is [...] very simple to use... took me maybe a couple hours to figure out the system.” — u/scottdellinger
⭐️ 4.6
⭐️ 4.2
Docebo
“Having had some time on Docebo, it's nice to be able to control the look and feel without having to have our BA team code it in. They are also a "SaaS" lite model in the sense that your updates are live, but new features aren't turned on unless you want them to be.” — u/Vectors2_Final
⭐️ 4.3
⭐️ 4.2
iSpring Learn
“[iSpring Learn] is probably the best PPT plugin, but a presentation is not at all the same as an eLearning course.” — u/Lilybiri
⭐️ 4.6
⭐️ 3.8
Xperiencify
“Xperiencify [has] got gamification and a community which my students love.” — u/vegantechnomad
No rating
⭐️ 4.2
isEazy Game
No comments from Redditors.
⭐️ 3.0
⭐️ 3.8
Subscribe for more articles like this
Subscribe to our newsletter for research-based content on community building, remote culture, and employee well-being. Get critical tools for a remote world.
Engagement delivered to your inbox
We'll email you 1-2x per month with brand new, ready-to-run events and ideas. Subscribe to stay ahead of the curve and keep your lessons, meetings, and events fresh and engaging.
